The cave was hot and dry, and Abby wasn't sure if she could find her way out, even after the voices had left their group. The voices… they had arrived in a hurry and made thinking feel like plodding through quicksand, slowed her movement to a crawl, and dragged her and Cuboner on adventure after adventure without rest for over a day. Even after they had left, fatigue left her moving as slowly and jerkily as before.

At least Cuboner was there, walking with her every step of the way, cheering her up when she felt ready to collapse in the sand. Wattson had wandered off shortly after they had been able to move on their own, giving off a series of beeps and whistles as he did, but Cuboner stayed by her side even when freed. Somehow, they still shared that strange bond that had been forced upon them during their possession.

And now that they were able to talk and move freely, Abby found her companion all the more delightful. He was more gruff, more bitter, more quiet, but that was only to be expected. What mattered was that he wasn't mean or uncaring or dismissive as she had feared.

It took almost an hour of walking before they could see the sun peeking out from holes in the cave walls, and several minutes more before they found a passage wide enough to allow them both entrance into the world above. The sunlight only made them hotter, but it didn't matter now. They were out, they were free… and now they could return home, and tell others of their journey, and…

Abby hadn't made the conscious decision to fall asleep, and couldn't remember how she went from taking baby steps in the sand to lying on the ground. But as she awoke, she didn't really care. The ground here was nice and cool and wet, and there was a gentle breeze blowing, and it was dark… she could just sleep there forever.

"Guys, I think she's awake!"

Abby opened her eyes.

Cuboner was on the ground next to her, his body slathered in mud, his eyes still closed. Above her stood a Charmeleon and a Rattata. Their wide-eyed stares made Abby's skin crawl.

"Can you hear us?" the Charmeleon asked, crouching down to Abby's level. The other Pokemon's singsong voice sounded like a lullaby to her, and Abby had to struggle to keep her eyes open. "Are you okay?"

"I'm awake." Her voice didn't normally sound that gravelly, did it? "What's going on? Where am I?"

"I told you she didn't hear us earlier! You owe me 100 Poke!" the Rattata cried out.

"Jay, not now. I brought you two into the forest-"

"You mean we brought them into the forest."

"Excuse me." The Charmeleon stood up and turned to face the Rattata- Jay, was it? Abby sat up. The Charmeleon wasn't as tall as she had first thought- in fact, they were almost the same size, even though Abby still hadn't evolved. "I picked them up and carried them here. You walked behind me making wisecracks the whole time."

"Hey, keeping up morale during the hike is an important job too!"

The Charmeleon rolled her eyes. "That Cubone was with you, wasn't he? You two were right next to each other…"

"Yeah. Yeah, we're together."

Abby heard a low moaning coming from her side and saw Cuboner open his eyes and sit up. "Whazzat?"

"We're just here to help you. Would you two like some berries?" The Charmeleon picked up a few berries from the small pile that sat at her feet.

"Yes please."

"Sure, why not."

The Charmeleon put one berry into each of their open mouths; it was the sweetest berry Abby had ever tasted. The Charmander started to protest being force-fed like a baby, but as she stretched her arm, she realized that even the slightest moment made her arm ache horribly. Abby looked down and saw that her arm- no, her whole body- was covered in bumps and bruises. She hadn't noticed the pain earlier, but now that she saw the evidence of her wounds, the pain rushed back and made her nearly collapse again.

The Charmeleon stepped towards Abby, holding her arms out. "You okay there?"

"Y-yeah."

"How did you two get…" The Charmeleon waved her arms around and briefly glanced towards Jay, averting her gaze when the Rattata grinned widely. "In this condition?"

Abby laughed darkly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The Charmeleon locked eyes with her, giving the Charmander a dark, steely glare. "Try me."

"Well, I was going along my way, and… promise not to laugh?"

"I promise."

"I don't." said the Rattata.

"Jay! Shut up and let the girl talk, will you?"

"Um, thanks. Well, I… I couldn't move, and then I started hearing these voices that, uh, made me move around like they told me to…"

The Charmeleon and the Rattata glanced each other, sharing a look that Abby couldn't interpret, then looked back towards the Charmander and nodded.

"And they made me walk around and go on all these adventures- oh yeah, and he-" Abby waved her arm in Cuboner's direction. The Cubone gave an awkward wave, then nodded for the Charmander to keep talking. "He was controlled by them too."

The Charmeleon gasped. "Both of you? By the same set of voices?"

"Y…eah. Weird, I know. And then they left us, and we were in a cave, and then once we got out… I guess we just passed out. The, uh, voices wouldn't let us rest."

"We-" The Charmeleon and the Rattata started talking in unison. They looked at one another, then Jay nodded and the Charmeleon resumed speaking. "We know about the voices."

"You DO?" Abby squeaked.

"Yeah. Our old Trainer was possessed by them too, and we've heard a few rumors about others… never a Pokemon, though…"

"You used to have a Trainer? I've never left the wild before. If they caught you, then why, uh…" Abby trailed off, realizing that the question she had been about to ask might be too personal to ask a near-stranger.

"Red ditched us." the Rattata said.

"Probably because the voices told him to."

"Still. Jerk move on his part. Or their part. Whatever."

"Don't worry, young ones, we'll take care of you for as long as you need us to. What are your names?"

Cuboner shook his head wildly.

"I'm Abby, and this is-" Cuboner glared at her, fire in his eyes. Abby bit her tongue. "Just call him Cubone."

"Your name is Abby?" the Charmeleon asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

The Charmeleon giggled quietly. "My name is Abby too."

"And I'm Jay Leno, not that anybody asked."

"Now…" The Charmeleon's voice lowered as she stared off into the horizon, and the Charmander wasn't quite sure if the older Abby was talking to her, or to Jay, or to anybody in particular. "If they chose a Charmander named Abby… then maybe… maybe the voices still remember me…"

"Huh?"

The Charmeleon blinked and looked back at the Charmander, extending her hand. "Never mind. It's good to meet you, is all."

The Charmander grinned and shook the other Abby's hand. "It's good to meet you, too."